Aakuta: the Dark Mage

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “Is it unusual for citizens to ride with soldiers on the road?” asked HawkShadow.

  “It is done often,” replied Marak. “Travelers will seek the protection of a squad on the roads. As long as the squad is not on an urgent mission, it is usually acceptable.”

  “Than I would prefer traveling that way,” HawkShadow responded. “It will allow us a freer hand and not bring any suspicion upon the Torak clan if anyone questions our activities.”

  * * *

  Zygor and Brakas entered through the gates of the Vessi estate. The Marshal of the Vessi clan met them in front of the mansion.

  “Is Lord Samert available?” asked Brakas.

  “He is,” nodded Marshal Ednardo. “Follow me.”

  Zygor and Brakas followed the marshal into the mansion. They were seated in the meeting room, and the marshal left. Moments later, he returned with Lord Samert.

  “I heard there was trouble in Fakara?” greeted the lord of the Vessi clan. “Rumors say that Grulak is dead.”

  “Grulak is dead,” Brakas replied. “The free tribes are causing unforeseen problems.”

  “I fail to see that as my problem,” shrugged the lord. “It would appear that Grulak’s grand plans died with him.”

  “Grulak’s plans may have died,” smirked Brakas, “but have yours?”

  “What do you mean?” questioned the lord.

  “Only a fool would believe that you were prepared to assist Grulak out of compassion,” snarled Brakas. “You were helping him so that you could increase your holdings in Khadora and profit from the plunder of your neighbors. Has that desire fled you upon the news of Grulak’s death?”

  “Are you proposing yourself as a replacement for Grulak?” inquired Lord Samert. “I heard that the Jiadin were scattered over all of Fakara.”

  “They are,” shrugged Brakas. “Do you really need a hundred thousand men to expand your influence? Most estates in Khadora have armies of five hundred men. You need but a fraction of the Jiadin to expand beyond your wildest dreams.”

  “Be careful what you imagine my dreams to be,” retorted Lord Samert. “What are you proposing?”

  Brakas gazed at the marshal as he spoke, “How many men would you need to crush your neighbors?”

  “Our army is strong,” the marshal replied after a moment of hesitation “Still, we could use a few hundred good men. Are you proposing to supply us with mercenaries?”

  “In a manner of speaking,” Brakas replied. “Although I suppose that I think on a grander scale than you do. I can supply you with five thousand warriors.”

  “Five thousand?” gasped Lord Samert. “We could never afford them.”

  “But you can,” Brakas replied swiftly. “They will cost you nothing.”

  “Nothing?” echoed the marshal with unconcealed suspicion. “What is your game?”

  “My men will only take a share of the spoils,” Brakas smiled innocently. “With five thousand men, you can expand well beyond your borders. Khadora is a rich country, and Fakara is very poor. A small share of Khadoran spoils will appear as a king’s ransom in Fakara. Thus, my men will actually cost you nothing.”

  “There is merit to this plan,” mused Lord Samert. “With five thousand men, only the largest of clans would dare oppose us, and we can be careful not to give them cause to intercede.”

  “Why the Vessi clan?” questioned Marshal Ednardo. “Why have you chosen to present this offer to us?”

  “Actually,” smiled Brakas, “I am offering it to each of Grulak’s allies. The Glamaraldi and the Lejune will have similar offers.”

  “So you will be sending fifteen thousand men into Khadora to bring home spoils to you?” asked the lord.

  “Precisely,” nodded Brakas. “I will get a small portion of each man’s take. When you are through with my men, we will have enough to found a new Fakara, and you will be powerful lords of Khadora. Everybody wins with this plan.”

  “Except those we destroy,” smirked Lord Samert.

  “And destroy them we must,” warned Marshal Ednardo. “The families of the controlling lords must be annihilated completely. There can be nobody left to file a grievance with the Lords’ Council. If no grievance is filed, then it remains a private affair between two clans.”

  “Then some clans will have to cease to exist,” grinned Lord Samert. “There will be a problem if anyone notices Jiadin in our ranks though.”

  “They will not be identifiable as Jiadin,” declared Brakas. “You are to make up Vessi uniforms for all five thousand of them. That is the safest way to proceed.”

  “I agree,” nodded the marshal. “They will be Vessi soldiers and they will take commands from me. You will have no control over these men, Brakas. Is that understood?”

  “Completely,” smiled Brakas. “I do not even wish to visit them. They are yours until you no longer need them, as long as I get what is due me from the spoils.”

  “So it shall be,” Lord Samert decided as he rose. “When can we expect these men?”

  “I will start sending them tomorrow,” answered Brakas. “You had best order uniforms to be made quickly.”

  Marshal Ednardo escorted the two Fakarans out of the mansion and watched them leave the estate. Brakas grinned broadly as soon as they were off the Vessi lands.

  “That was easy,” laughed Brakas. “I hope the other two clans are as easy.”

  “They will be,” remarked Zygor. “You did well in there, Brakas. How those fools think they can control five thousand of our men is beyond me, but you were correct in your analysis. Their greed blinds them to the danger. Are you sure that our men will respond when the signal is given?”

  “To a man,” Brakas nodded vigorously. “There is no love of Khadorans among our men. When we choose to take over the host clans, it will be easily accomplished.”

  “Excellent,” smirked Zygor. “Let us put these other two clans in order so that I may search out my new host. We will accomplish more with twenty thousand men than Grulak had hoped for with his hundred thousand.”

  Chapter 5

  Unraveling Deceit

  Lord Marak anxiously eyed the loading of the caravan wagons. He noticed that the escorts for the caravan appeared nervous, although they were subdued enough in their emotions that a casual observer would not notice. The Torak lord sighed anxiously as he mounted the steps to the mansion in Fardale and moved swiftly to the office of Lord Marshal Yenga. Yenga’s back was to the door as he studied a large wall map. Lord Marak cleared his throat intentionally as he entered. Lord Marshal Yenga turned promptly and yet calmly.

  “Has the air tunnel spying revealed anything about Lord Quavry’s interest in the departing caravan?” Marak asked.

  “Nothing at all,” answered Yenga. “Our mage reports that Lord Quavry holds his talk behind closed doors. The air tunnel is not effective in that situation.”

  “So we may be sending this caravan to its doom with no better information than we had the last time,” sighed Lord Marak.

  “Not true,” smiled Yenga. “First, we know approximately where we will be attacked. Second, our troops will be wearing Qubari armor. They will not be killed easily and without retribution this time.”

  “Still, it would have been good to put this treachery behind us before the meeting of the Assembly of Lords,” frowned Lord Marak. “I will be leaving in the morning.”

  “This business with Lord Quavry is not finished,” declared Yenga. “Marshal Patoga and Seneschal Shamino are waiting to see you. Talk to them before you make plans for your trip.”

  “The Sorgan marshal and seneschal?” questioned Lord Marak. “Do you know what this is about?”

  “Basically,” nodded Yenga, “but I requested that the information be delivered directly to you. I would like to be present if I may.”

  “By all means,” Marak nodded. “Where are they?”

  “In the meeting room,” replied Yenga.

  Lord Marak pivoted and strode out of the office and into the mee
ting room across the corridor. Lord Marshal Yenga followed him and closed the door when they had entered the room. Marshal Patoga saluted smartly as the Lord of the Torak Clan entered the room, and Seneschal Shamino rose and bowed

  “I understand that you have need to discuss things with me,” Lord Marak said as he sat at the head of the table. Please be seated and begin.”

  “I fear that I may be making more out of this than I should,” frowned Seneschal Shamino, “but when I mentioned my concerns to Marshal Patoga, he demanded that I come to Fardale and speak with Lord Marshal Yenga. The Lord Marshal demanded that I speak to you. I do hope that I am not wasting your valuable time.”

  “My time is always available for my people,” stated Lord Marak, “from my lord marshal to the lowest of laborers. Please tell me what is troubling you.”

  “I must admit to some bias in the telling of my tale,” declared Seneschal Shamino. “Ever since the day you came to Watula Valley and ordered Vows of Service be given to you, I have felt that Lord Quavry plans to break them. He has never openly spoke ill of you, but his mannerisms speak otherwise.”

  “You should have brought this to my attention immediately,” interrupted Lord Marak. “I wish to know about anyone who does not take his Vows seriously.”

  “Understood,” nodded the seneschal as perspiration began to form upon his brow, “but there is really nothing to report. It is only a feeling, and I am hesitant to condemn a man with only my perceptions. In fact, I did not speak to Marshal Patoga with thoughts of condemning Lord Quavry. I merely expressed concerns with what I saw as aberrant behavior.”

  “What type of behavior?” questioned Lord Marak.

  “As I am sure you are well aware,” Seneschal Shamino began, “working without slaves presents a challenge for an estate that has long utilized slavery to accomplish our tasks. You were wise in ordering us to send our people here to Fardale for training, and I have seen a marked increase in efficiency upon their return. I became concerned when Lord Quavry demanded to meet with people privately upon their return from Fardale. Lord Quavry has never taken an interest in the running of the mansion before, so it intrigued me that he suddenly became very interested in these people.”

  “So you reported this to the marshal?” asked Lord Marak.

  ”No,” Seneschal Shamino said. “I also interviewed the same people to find out what he was asking them, but he had no questions that indicated a betrayal, so I imagined that I was seeing wolves where none existed. It was not until yesterday that I became concerned enough to mention all of this to Marshal Patoga. Lord Quavry demanded that I send more people to Fardale for training.”

  “Why does that bother you?” inquired Lord Marak. “You just said that the training was making the workers more productive.”

  “Indeed it does,” Seneschal Shamino nodded vigorously, “but all of my people have already been here for training. Lord Quavry did not seem to care that they had all been trained. He wanted some sent back here for more training. Thinking that he had witnessed some poor behavior among my people, I questioned which ones needed to be retrained. His answer disturbed me. He did not care who I sent to Fardale for training, as long as I kept up a steady flow of people going to Fardale. There is something very wrong going on here, but I cannot fathom what it is. That was when I decided to bring my concerns to Marshal Patoga.”

  “What type of questions has Lord Quavry been asking your people?” asked Lord Marak.

  “That is the puzzling part of it all,” frowned the seneschal. “I cannot see any harm in the questions that he asks. It sounds as if he just wants to know what is going on here. He asks about visitors, meetings, caravans, and a lot of questions about you. I know there is something devious going on, but I cannot discover it.”

  “He asks about caravans?” questioned Lord Marak. “Does he ask specifically about when they are leaving?”

  Seneschal Shamino hesitated for a moment before answering. “Yes,” he finally nodded. “One consistent question always asked of my people was if they had seen any caravans leaving Fardale. You seem to find something in that question that I fail to see. What possible harm can there be in him knowing when your caravans leave Fardale?”

  The veins in Lord Marak’s temples began to throb visibly, but he remained silent for several minutes. Finally he rose and began pacing.

  “Would you leave us for a moment, Seneschal Shamino?” Lord Marak asked as he stopped pacing and faced the table. “Wait in the hallway beyond the door. I will need to speak with you again in a moment.”

  “Certainly,” bowed the seneschal as he rose and retreated out of the room.

  “As you suspected,” Lord Marshal Yenga said softly. “Shall I have him arrested?”

  “Not yet,” Lord Marak shook his head. “While I cannot find any viable reason for Lord Quavry to be searching for the information that he has been seeking, it is not enough to arrest the man. If he does try to get that information to others, then he shall pay the price for violating his Vows of Service. My attention now is on Lord Quavry’s replacement. What do you think of Seneschal Shamino? He obviously seems to honor his Vows of Service. Does he have the skills necessary to be Lord of the Sorgan Clan?”

  “He does,” nodded Yenga. “I have known him for many years, and loyalty is one of his strongest traits. He runs the mansion flawlessly and is a stickler for details. I think his feelings about Lord Quavry show that his intuition is good, and the way he conducted himself with his suspicions speaks highly for his intelligence. He was not rash in leveling false charges, yet he knew when to confide in others. I cannot think of a finer replacement unless you went outside the Sorgan clan in you search for a new lord.”

  “I want the lord of the Sorgan clan to be a Sorgan,” declared Lord Marak. “I will not look elsewhere. Marshal Patoga, do you agree with Yenga’s assessment?”

  “I do,” nodded Patoga. “Seneschal Shamino would manage the clan well, and his loyalty to you would be without question. He has been eager to have his people trained so that he could effectively institute your reforms, and he has done so very well. I cannot think of a better choice.”

  “Good,” nodded Lord Marak. “Yenga, make sure that we have several air mages north of the Sorgan estate immediately.”

  “One is already stationed there,” replied Yenga. “I will send more immediately.”

  “Send Seneschal Shamino in when you leave,” Lord Marak said to Yenga. “Also make sure that every Sorgan visitor knows that the caravan is leaving. Do not make the telling of the information obvious, but ensure that each of them knows.”

  Lord Marshal Yenga left the meeting room, and Seneschal Shamino entered. Lord Marak motioned him to take a seat.

  “I thank you for bringing this news to my attention, Shamino,” smiled Lord Marak. “I am pleased with the work you have been doing at Watula Valley and plan to make you the next Lord of the Sorgan Clan. Is that an adjustment that you feel comfortable with?”

  “It would be an honor and a pleasure to serve you in any capacity, Lord Marak,” replied the seneschal, “but to serve as a lord would be the fulfillment of my dreams. I am uncomfortable with your decision, however.”

  “Why?” asked Lord Marak.

  “Your words, while not promising to make me lord immediately,” frowned the seneschal, “lead me to believe that you plan on removing Lord Quavry soon. While I do believe that he is not taking his Vows of Service seriously, he has not violated them. The scant information that I have provided is hardly enough to justify such a drastic punishment. I could not accept the position knowing that his removal is unjust.”

  “Your reply pleases me,” smiled Lord Marak as a puzzled frown fell over Shamino’s face. “No person should be punished without proof, and I will not remove Lord Quavry under such circumstances. There is more to this than you know, though. The last three Torak caravans have been ambushed. I have suspected that Lord Quavry was the source of information required by the ambushers, but I could not confirm it, nor co
uld I figure out how he was being informed. You have solved the last part of that problem for me. Tonight I will have the proof that I require.”

  “How so?” asked Seneschal Shamino.

  “I believe that Lord Quavry has been sending information to an enemy using messages attached to birds,” answered Lord Marak. “If I am correct, Lord Quavry will release a bird tonight detailing the departure of my caravan today.”

  “We do have birds on the estate that I cannot find records for,” frowned the seneschal. “We have not purchased them, and I have been forbidden to use them for messages that I send to the capital. I thought you had ordered them there. How will you stop the message from being delivered?”

  “I have made arrangements for the bird to be captured after it leaves the mansion,” Lord Marak answered vaguely. “If this comes to pass, I will expect you to take Lord Quavry’s place at the Assembly of Lords. Be sure that you are prepared for departure in the morning.”

  “I would like to see the message myself,” declared Seneschal Shamino. “I must be sure of his treachery.”

  “I understand,” nodded Lord Marak. “Marshal Patoga will arrange for you to inspect the bird and the message. This must be done with secrecy. I will not alert Lord Quavry to my knowledge of his plans.”

  “I would be willing to just view the message after your people return to the mansion with it,” offered Shamino. “After many years as seneschal, I know Lord Quavry’s handwriting well. I will know if he has written the message.”

  “You must see it when it is captured,” stated Lord Marak. “The message will not be returning to the mansion.”

  “Not returning?” puzzled Seneschal Shamino. “I do not understand.”

  “We have not discovered who our enemy is,” shrugged Lord Marak, “and I doubt that Lord Quavry will tell us even when he is confronted with his deceit. Our only option is to allow the message to get through to its intended recipient. We have made plans to engage the enemy when they strike at the caravan.”